Asheville food news roundup

An early 20th century Montford building is about to get new life. The structure, located at 152 Montford Ave., has been a Piggly Wiggly and, since 1972, the Pentecostal Tabernacle Church. Soon, it will add to the neighborhood’s tiny but surprisingly diverse restaurant collection, which also includes Tod’s Tasties and Nine Mile.

The structure, once complete, will house an Italian restaurant tentatively called Chiesa Italian, the word “chiesa” being Italian for Church.

Michael McDonough, a local architect and one of the owners of the building, said the property has been rezoned for business use. The restaurant, once complete, is likely to have 49 seats, give or take, and possibly a downstairs patio.

The owners have gotten approval to excavate around the building, exposing the original foundation plus some original doors and windows, according to McDonough.

The second floor of the building is likely to house apartments. “Our goal is two studio apartments upstairs, with three big windows overlooking Montford,” he said.

Another is that the White Duck Taco Shop will open a new location in downtown Asheville this spring:

The White Duck Taco Shop is hatching big plans. On Monday, owner Ben Mixson signed the lease for 12 Biltmore Avenue in downtown Asheville and expects to open a restaurant there in early spring.

“We still have a lot to do, but we’ll move pretty fast,” he said. “There’s a lot of things that have to be figured out.”

Mixson said the fact that the building is in good shape — it housed Circle in the Square until last month — will make the project run faster. “Normally, it’s an abandoned wood shop or chicken hatchery,” he said, laughing.

The Biltmore location has room for 120-130 diners, including the 48-seat patio.

The restaurant will have a full bar, though Mixson said the kitchen is the focus. “We will have a rum punch,” he said. “We don’t want heavy bar business. It’s really about food.”

The menu will be the same as the River Arts District location, and Mixson said he expects prices will stay the same, too.